


Would You Like Cream With That?

by Meowser_Clancy



Series: Madney Moments [25]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: AU, Awkward Relationship, Dating life, Drama, F/M, Nurse AU, Romance, Schedules, Sequel, Too Busy, happy endings only, hospital au, i love Omar so I took him with me, maddie is a nurse, madney is cute, making it work, so fucking cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29549835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meowser_Clancy/pseuds/Meowser_Clancy
Summary: Sequel to It Was Never About the Coffee. Maddie and Chimney are starting to date, but she's a busy nurse, and he's a firefighter who's basically always on duty. Can they figure out their schedules, or will this break them before they even have a chance to start?
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Madney Moments [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748338
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As can easily be deduced, I’m deep in my Nurse Maddie feels coming off of Buck Begins, so I decided to finally write a sequel to something that has been one of my favorite Madney stories anyway. :)

Maddie rushed out the door, waving away Omar's protests, hoping that she could make it to the coffee shop in time. She was on her break, and she was going to get some damn coffee.

Coffee with her boyfriend.

She flushed, hurrying down the busy LA street in her pink scrubs. Her hair was in braids today, and they whipped at her face. She pulled out her phone, shooting a quick text to Omar. **Just tell me what to order for you**

 **Iced mocha latte double shot** was his almost instant reply. She laughed, sliding the phone back into her pocket, and pushed the door open to the coffee shop.

Howie was already inside, standing in line looking down at his phone. He was in street clothes today, and her heart warmed. He'd left out he part where he was off today. She licked her lips, trying to figure out how to say hi. How did one say hi to the person who when she'd last seen him she'd been making out with him after discovering that he was her brother's coworker?

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it back out. **You coming? (Howie)**

**Turn around (Maddie)**

Howie swiveled, eyebrows arching, and a grin spread over his face. "Hi," he said, bouncing from one foot to the other. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said, a smile spreading wide over her own face. "Have you ordered yet?"

"Nope, just got here," he said. His eyes swept her outfit. "I've never seen you in pink before," he smiled.

"Well, it's a special day," she smiled. "I thought it deserved a special pair."

"Why is the day special?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised, but the way his lips were twitching seemed to indicate that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Because I'm getting coffee with you," she said, her cheeks suddenly flushing. She pressed her hands against them, trying to cool down. It was a hot day, hopefully he'd think it was from rushing. "I ran over here," she admitted. "Didn't want to waste anytime."

"Well, hey, next time why don't I just meet you at the bench outside the hospital?" Howie said. "I don't need you wasting time on your break walking here, plus I don't want to tire out the most valuable member of the ER."

 _Next time_. She flushed. The phrase had so many connotations, so many expectations...yet she didn't mind it.

"That would be nice," she said. "I always get the same thing anyway. You will have to bring coffee for Omar, though, or he will never forgive you."

"Who's Omar?" He asked, raising another eyebrow.

"Next," the barista called, and Maddie nodded at Howie. He turned around quickly, and walked forward.

"Hi, a large coffee," he began.

"Would you like cream with that?" The barista interrupted, and Howie shook his head.

"Black is fine," he said, and turned to Maddie.

"Are you together?" The barista asked.

"Separate is fine," Maddie began, just as Howie said, "Together."

There was an awkward pause. "I don't want to interrupt what is obviously a moment for you," the barista said. "But there are people behind you."

"Together," Howie said, and Maddie flushed.

"Okay, but you're getting Omar's too now," she said. "Large cappuccino with skim, no sweetener. Large iced mocha latte with a double shot."

Howie swiped his card, and the barista took their names.

They stepped off to the side to wait, and Maddie tried to figure out what she wanted to say. "I didn't mean for that to be awkward," she finally said, knowing from years of living with Doug that it was always better to be safe rather than sorry.

Howie was now the one who flushed. "Listen, I didn't mean to assume, so that's my bad," he said. "I figured it would be easier on the barista, but you can totally Venmo me or whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

"Sounds good," she said. "I'll hook Omar up with your number so he can send you his too."

The barista called their names, and Maddie grabbed hers and Omar's. "Do you want to sit inside?" Howie asked.

"I'd rather walk back to that bench you mentioned," she admitted. "So we're not in a hurry."

"Of course," he said, darting in front of her to open the door. He slid a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket as he passed through; she was surprised at the feeling that jumped in her chest at the sight of him in aviators. He looked good.

They walked down the street, and Maddie was grateful to be able to take this a lot slower than she had on her way over. "Listen," she said, taking a sip. "You did not tell me that this was your day off. I was led to believe that this was convenient for both of us, and now I feel bad for making you come all the way out here."

"It is convenient," he protested, laughing. "I'm going to go shopping in the area, I swear."

"How long was your drive?" She demanded, and he paused. "I'm not sure exactly where you live but it can't have been less than twenty."

"Thirty five," he said. "But that's just because it was morning traffic."

"It's LA, Howie," she teased. "The traffic never ends."

He paused on the sidewalk, and she turned to face him. She could just see his eyes glinting behind the tint of his sunglasses. "Maddie," he said. "Would you believe me if I said it was worth it?"

The timbre of his voice had lowered by just a little. She swallowed, feeling an itch to step closer. She could tell even through the sunglasses that his gaze had dipped to her lips, and she found her own gaze lowering.

A passerby jostled Maddie, and Howie swore, grabbing the coffee from her hands. "Fuck," Maddie said, looking at her now sticky hands. "The one day I don't bring my purse."

"I can carry these, let's just get you back to wash your hands off," he said, easily juggling two coffee cups in one hand. That also made something start up, deep in her belly. It was like everything he did, even the most mundane actions, was a turn on.

She hadn't felt like this in a very long time.

They moved a little quicker, and Maddie gingerly took Omar's coffee from him. "I will be right back," she said. "I'll give this to him and be right out."

"I'm holding your coffee hostage," he joked, and Maddie grinned over her shoulder.

She walked back in, seeing Omar waiting at the desk. "Took you long enough," he said. "What did you do, spill it everywhere?"

"That was just LA patience," she said, handing him the coffee. "I need to wash my hands, someone bumped me."

"What about Howie?" Omar called after her, but she ignored him.

She washed off as quickly as possible, hurrying back outside to where Howie still waited. He stood by the bench, in his casual white shirt, and jeans. He glanced up at the whoosh of the automatic door, and again, smiled when he saw her.

She took her own coffee back from him. "Thank you," she said, taking a sip. "For helping out back there."

"No worries," Howie said. "I just wish I'd seen it coming."

She shrugged. "Can anyone ever see that coming?"

"It's LA, it's expected," he said. "Is your break up?"

"I've got a few minutes," she lied, pretending she hadn't seen the clock as she left the ER. Omar would cover for her, he owed them for the coffee.

Howie nodded. "So," he started. "We should do this again."

"We should," she said. "I work the same shift tomorrow."

"I will try to be here," he replied. "I work, though, so no promises."

"No worries," she said, and felt an odd heaviness descend over them.

Howie stepped closer, and there was a sticky tension in the air that had nothing to do with the LA heat. She knew there were both thinking the exact same thing, but they were both scared of acting on it.

Yes, that kiss on Saturday had been damn nice, but she didn't know if she was actually ready for their relationship to turn physical...even if it was all she'd thought about since then. "I'll text you," she said, stepping back, forcing a brightness that she did not feel into her voice. She felt strained, like her body was physically protesting that she'd stepped away.

Howie took the clue, nodding. "I'll reply," he teased. "See you later, Maddie."

She waved, and hurried back inside. The cool air was a welcome balm on her very heated cheeks. Omar saw her, and raised an eyebrow.

"No comment," she said, and Omar just smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chimney spent the next few days almost glued to his phone. Hen rolled her eyes every time she saw him texting with Maddie, but she also nudged his shoulder with hers as they got dressed one morning.

"I'm happy for you," she said simply. "Buck's sister, who would have thought?"

"After all the shit he's said about his sister, Maddie is the absolute last thing I expected," Chimney admitted, laughing with Hen. "And I'm happy too. Hopeful."

Hen raised an eyebrow. "You think this is going places then?"

"Well, I always do," Chimney admitted. "I even bought Tatiana a ring, and we know what a joke that was."

"Don't remind me," Hen groaned. "I'm glad she's out of your life."

Chimney finished buttoning his shirt, shaking his head. "Honestly, I think I'm too scared to think about what's next," he said. "I just know that we've been talking for a while, we've been texting like crazy this week, and I just refuse to jinx it."

"Good plan," Hen said, just as Buck walked in.

"So," he said. "How are things with you and my sister?"

Chimney really hadn't intended everyone to find out just what had occurred, but it turned out Buck and Eddie had seen them kissing, and Chimney had just told all Monday morning rather than let them think that he'd kissed Maddie four hours after meeting her.

Sometimes it was just easier to take the path of least resistance around Buck. "Things are good," he said. "Although I'm pretty sure that Maddie told me to tell you to mind your own business if you asked."

"This is my business," Buck scoffed. "She's my sister, who just divorced her scumbag husband. I love you like a brother, Chim, but I will end you if you hurt her."

Since when did Buck love him like a brother? Chimney just smiled, and clapped Buck on the shoulder as he left the locker room. "Good talk," he said, leaving a protesting Buck behind.

His phone buzzed, and he grinned. It was Maddie, continuing a conversation from earlier.

God, he couldn't wait to take that woman on a date.

* * *

The date thing proved to be a little harder than he thought.

"I'm working Friday night," Maddie told him, her voice coming clear over the phone. "So that's out, and so is Saturday morning because I will be pretty much dead until afternoon."

"I work Saturday morning," Chimney said, walking around the kitchen at the firehouse. Maddie had gotten off her shift and the 118 was having some minor downtime, so he'd called her. "So what about Saturday night?"

"I work nights all weekend," she said, and Chimney groaned.

"Guess what?" He said, and she sighed.

"Murphy's law, you work mornings all weekend," she said, and he nodded before realizing she couldn't hear him.

"You got it," he said. "Well, hey, maybe we can just grab another coffee next week."

"I'd like that," she said. "I'm off Monday through Wednesday."

Chimney bit back another groan. He'd picked up extra shifts way back when the schedule was written, because Bobby had asked him to, and he'd figured he'd have nothing to do.

"I'm not off until Thursday," he admitted. "Well, I'm off tomorrow."

"I can't do tomorrow," she replied. "Okay. Well, we can try again. And we'll keep texting."

"For sure," he said. "I do love texting with you."

"Talking is pretty nice too," she replied. "That way I have something to do while I sit in traffic."

The bell rang above Chimney. "Well, hold tight, because you're about to have even more traffic," he said. "I have to go."

"I can hear," she said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye, Maddie," he said, and switched off, running towards the poles.

* * *

Chimney was exhausted Saturday evening, and his shift had felt like an eternity, but he headed over to the hospital anyway. He figured he'd just drop in, see if she had a minute, and if not, no harm done. He figured he should have probably texted first, but by the time he thought of that he was already halfway there.

Too late to turn around.

He just wanted to see her. Through some curse, no calls had taken them by St. Elizabeth; even if they had, Maddie wouldn't have been working.

Maddie had texted him a caffeine emoji as a joke right before he'd left the 118; that had been his prompt. He was going to get her another cappuccino, make sure that she didn't have to drink the awful coffee the hospital provided.

He managed to find street parking not too far (truly a miracle) and went to grab a coffee for her. By the time he reached St. Elizabeth's doors, the sun was starting to set. He should be home and getting dinner ready; he was starving, but fool that he was, he was walking through St. Elizabeth's doors, coffee in hand.

It was oddly quiet for a Saturday night, and Chimney counted his blessings. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get lucky.

Omar was at the reception desk, and he raised an eyebrow at Chimney. "You didn't bring me one," he said, and Chimney smiled.

"I didn't know if you were working," he said delicately.

"You could have texted, you have my number from when I venmoed you," Omar replied, then grinned. "You know I'm just kidding."

"I did hope," Chimney said. "Is, uh, Maddie around?"

"She could be," Omar said. "If you promise to include me in your next coffee run."

"Omar," Maddie scolded, and Chimney swung around to see Maddie walking up behind him. "You do not get to make Chimney your coffee errand boy too; you've already got about six nurses doing that."

"I always need more coffee bringers," Omar sniffed, but somehow managed to evaporate, leaving Maddie and Chimney somewhat alone.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, taking the proffered coffee cup. He thrilled when her fingers brushed against his, and he didn't miss how her eyes shot up to his face; she'd felt it too.

"I feel like that's fairly self evident," he smiled. "I just wanted to grab you a coffee, I was on my way home and I just...didn't want to wait another week before I saw you."

She dimpled; a truly beautiful sight. "I appreciate it," she said. "Omar, can you cover for me?"

"You get five minutes," came Omar's voice.

"I knew he hadn't actually left," she hissed at Chimney.

"Heard that too," Omar called, and Maddie shook her head, leading Chimney outside to the bench. She was in red scrubs this time; they brought out the color in her cheeks, and made her brown hair glow.

"How was your week?" She asked. "Beyond what we've texted."

"It was fine," Chimney shrugged. "Your brother won't stop bugging me."

"Me either, but he means well," Maddie said. "And he's basically my best friend, so I allow him that."

Chimney itched to just throw an arm around her; to take her hand, but he held back. He didn't want to cross a line, so he kept his hands firmly in his pocket. "So," he said. "What do you work Thursday?"

"Morning," she said. "My weekend schedule basically flipped on me."

"Dinner?" He asked, voice hopeful. "It doesn't have to be anything big, just a quick bite. I know you'll be tired."

"We can plan for that," she said, a smile in her voice. "But only if you swear not to be mad if I cancel because I'm dead on my feet."

"I would never be mad at you for cancelling," he said automatically, not thinking. He paused, remembering Buck's "scumbag husband" words. She was probably thinking about _him_. (Chimney wasn't even sure of the man's name.)

She smiled at him, reaching to brush her hair behind her ear. He could tell she wasn't sure what to say.

"That's probably five minutes," he said, regretful. "I don't want Omar to send out a search party."

She sighed. "I feel awful that you drove all this way just for five minutes," she began.

"Don't," Chimney said simply. "I wanted to, and Maddie? It was worth it."

He realized he'd said around the same thing last time; he'd say it as many times as needed for Maddie to believe it.

Her face softened even more. "Howie," she began, stepping closer to him, and he could feel something was in the air. He really, really wanted to kiss her again. He'd been thinking about literally all week.

Her cell phone started buzzing the second he took a step closer, and Maddie closed her eyes in visible disappointment.

"That's going to be Omar," she said, and, arching on her toes, she leaned to kiss his cheek. It was over in a second, and she was scampering inside without a word, but Chimney stared after her like a lovesick puppy, stars in his eyes. It took him a long time to leave; he kept praying she'd steal another moment and come back out for a real kiss, but finally, he turned and left.

He couldn't wait until Thursday.


	3. Chapter 3

She had to cancel.

Maddie kind of hated herself in that moment, staring down at her phone. She really didn't want to cancel, but her supervisor asked her to come in three hours early Friday morning, and she really couldn't afford to lose sleep that night.

It had been a long week since Saturday, the last time she'd seen Howie. They'd texted, every day. He'd even called her a few times when he had downtime at work, and it had been good.

But it wasn't the same as seeing him, and she felt serious anxiety about sending this text. First of all, she felt pretty shitty that it would be a text, but she only had a few minutes left on her break, and she refused to wait even later to tell him she was cancelling. She wasn't going to make him wait until the last second.

She sighed, finally typing the words.

**Please don't hate me. (Maddie)**

**I have to work three hours earlier than originally planned (Maddie)**

**Tomorrow night? (Maddie)**

She waited in tense silence, until the clock turned, and she went back inside, realizing she'd have to wait on his reply. She didn't know if he'd read it; she'd disabled read receipts a long time ago for obvious reasons with Doug, but now she was tempted to turn them back on for Howie. But no. She wasn't going to let herself go there. That was a toxic impulse, and she refused to give into temptation.

Her phone finally buzzed a few minutes later, and she hesitantly pulled it from her pocket, not sure what to expect. Of course he would be nice about it, but she knew she'd be able to read his disappointment in whatever he texted.

**Hey, no worries. Can't say you didn't warn me (Howie)**

**I'm getting dinner with my family Friday, or I'd say yes in a heartbeat (Howie)**

She sighed, knowing that this was fine. He loved his family, who could complain about that? Besides, he'd been so kind about her own cancellation.

**Of course, we can work something out (Maddie)**

Her good mood didn't last long after that however. She was quiet for most of her shift, feeling guilty that the last two times she'd seen him he'd had to drive clear across town for her five minute break. He worked the night shift Saturday, while she worked the morning.

She was going to try and see him, bring him a coffee, or some sort of snack. He'd made the journey to see her twice, wasn't it time for her to reciprocate? Besides, then Buck might stop worrying about them so much.

Yes. She'd drop in Saturday.

* * *

Saturday night came, and Maddie changed out of her nurse scrubs into jeans, sandals, and a white shirt. She looked at her hair in the bathroom mirror at the hospital and sighed. She'd done it in two braids this morning, and it looked nowhere near as it had at the beginning of the day, with tendrils and curls escaping all over the place. She didn't really have time to fix it; she'd placed an order for Indian and the time was nearing.

She hoped Howie liked Indian; she hoped he hadn't already eaten. Worse case scenario was that she'd also bought herself lunch for tomorrow, she told herself, trying to believe it. She really didn't want this gesture to fall flat. What if they were busy? What if she made a total fool of herself? What if they weren't there and it was hours before they came back? Should she wait? Should she text Buck now to feel it out?

She sighed, leaving the bathroom with a nervous pit of stress in her stomach. She really wanted to make this work, she really wanted to make Howie as happy as he'd made her the last time he'd dropped in.

So she was just going. If he wasn't there, she could at least leave half the food for him. Yes. That was a good plan.

* * *

The nervous stress in her stomach kept needling her the whole drive. Every second sat in traffic made her more anxiety, sending pinpricks of anxiety everywhere on her body. She just wanted to see him; she knew that the anxiety would dissipate the instant she saw his smile, but at the same time, she was so nervous that she was dreading seeing him. A huge part of her almost wished he wouldn't be there so she could just ditch the food and send him a cute text. It would be so much less real, so much less stress if he wasn't there.

It would be better...right?

And yet the bigger part of her just really wanted to see him. There was a palpable ache; one that if she pressed her ribs it pinched even more.

Damn it, maybe part of this was just hunger. The food was scenting her car, making her stomach growl.

Howie hadn't texted as much as usual today; surely that meant he was busy. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as the last light before the 118 turned green. She was fine, she was okay. She could do this, right?

She pulled in, seeing Howie's car in the parking lot. That meant nothing; she could see Buck's too.

She grabbed the food, forcing her breath in and out. _In. One two three four five. Out. One two three…_

Her brain froze, as a fire truck tore out of the front of the building, siren screaming; an ambulance followed.

That meant Howie had literally just left, she'd just missed him.

She stood there in the parking lot for a second, and forced her breath to start again. This was fine. She'd leave the food, and she'd go.

She took another moment to steady herself, and walked into the open front of the firehouse. It looked so open when it was missing two vehicles. Maddie headed for the stairs, knowing the kitchen was up there. She'd just leave it there with a note.

"Maddie?" She looked up, and...Eddie? Was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Hey," she said, trying to figure out words. "I just wanted to drop something off."

"For Buck?" Eddie said. "I can put it in the fridge for you, and make sure no one else touches it."

"No, for Howie-I mean, Chimney," she stammered.

"Oh, then he's right here," Eddie said, and Maddie whirled around to see Howie jogging up the stairs behind her.

"Sorry," he said, lightly panting. "I saw you in the parking lot, and I tried to catch up."

Eddie had disappeared, and Maddie stared at the man now standing in front of her.

"Hi," she said, and held out the food in an awkward, straightforward motion. "I saw the ambulance leave, I assumed you went with it."

"Hen's training a new guy, and Martin is there," Howie shrugged. "I'll be on the next one if we get another call."

Maddie nodded, unsure of what to say.

"So," Howie said, stepping forward to take the bag. "Is this lunch?"

"I thought we could grab a bite, if you had a minute," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. Now that she was here, she really didn't know what to say. She kind of just wanted to fall into a pit in the floor, let it swallow her up.

"That would be great," Howie said, gently cupping her elbow to guide her to the kitchen.

Maddie felt her whole body tense at the touch, and Howie immediately moved his hand away. "I'm sorry," she began, as he said the same words.

"Again, I shouldn't have assumed you'd be comfortable with that," he hurried to say. "It was my bad."

"No, I was," she said in a rush. "Comfortable. It just took me by surprise."

Howie's eyes met hers, and the tension had returned. She slowly reached her hand out, let it brush against his. The feeling made her want to close her eyes, and just breathe this in. She slowly slid her fingers between his, and Howie clasped tight, his eyes shining as he looked at her.

"So," he said, his voice oddly strained. "Lunch?"

"Yeah," she said, almost a whisper. "I got Indian, I hope you like that."

"I do," he said, and led her to the kitchen.

* * *

Maddie spent their whole meal waiting for the bell to ring, but somehow, they made it through without an interruption. Howie told stories from his workweek, and Maddie did the same. She had a warm glow in her stomach, and their hands lay next to each other on the table; sometimes he gently touched the back of her hand with his, but he didn't take it in his again.

She kind of wanted him to, but she also knew it would reignite every feeling she'd had when she'd first seen him tonight, and she needed to cool off a little.

Howie walked her out to her car, and all she could think about was the night of Buck's party.

Had that really been just two weeks ago? It felt like a lifetime.

She leaned against her car, looking up at the night sky. She knew she needed to be getting home; she still had work in the morning. Howie braced one hand against her car door, gazing at her. She wasn't sure who moved first, but they were kissing, and it was just as good as it had been two weeks ago.

His lips moved against hers, and his hand came to cup the back of her head; hold her steady. His other hand danced at the small of her back; not quite touching, but present.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, just holding him to her, as the kiss deepened.

She really didn't want this moment to end.

Howie pulled away, breathing hard, and he smiled at her. "That went well," he joked. "Um, I need to get back, but I wish I could stand out here all night."

"Me too," she said. "I mean, I have to get home, and get to sleep but…" She licked her lips. "I just want to stay here with you."

"Maybe next week," he said. "We really need to find time for that date."

He waved, and started back inside. Maddie stood at her car, silently begging that he'd turn around, come back for one more kiss, but he only turned around once he'd reached the building; he raised his hand in a wave, and she waved back. She pressed her fingers against her lips after he'd disappeared from view, and she'd never wanted to be able to time travel as much as she did in that moment.


End file.
